Oct. 11, 2005: MILITARY MAY SEEK TO PROFIT FROM MONROE

A former Army attorney warned city officials Monday that the military is more interested in selling closed bases for profit than it has been before.That means that the Defense Department could try to get Hampton or Virginia taxpayers to pay for a portion of Fort Monroe if the base is formally slated for closure later this year.

In the past, the Pentagon has been willing to give the land from closed bases to neighboring communities so the economic development would help offset the financial loss of the military's departure.

But preliminary guidelines issued by the Defense Department suggest that officials are less willing to do that with this round of base closings, said Michael C. Bobrick, an attorney who once worked for the Army in its Base Realignment and Closure office located at Fort Monroe.

"The Defense Department hopes to make some money off this BRAC round," he said. "They don't just want to give it away."

Bobrick cited a former Marine base in California as an example. The Navy sold that base to a developer for nearly $650 million through an online auction last year. The base had remained largely unused for six years.

It's not clear how the sale of former bases might affect the transfer of Fort Monroe. But city officials are hopeful that it won't apply much or at all.

Much of the land that the fort has been built on would revert to state ownership once the military stops using it as a base. The portion that the Army could try to sell is the narrow strip on the north end of the base near Buckroe.

Bobrick's comments were part of a report given Monday to the group that Hampton officials hope will lead the base's redevelopment -- the Federal Areas Redevelopment Authority.

Later Monday at a meeting at Kecoughtan High School, many city residents encouraged Mayor Ross A. Kearney II to showcase the fort's history as part of future development at the base. Some of the 130 people there said they're excited about the possibilities for the future of the historic base.

"We have an opportunity to make Fort Monroe our Williamsburg -- a destination people want to come to," said resident George G. Smith.

Kearney told the group that their ideas would be incorporated, where possible, into the plans the city is drafting for the future of Fort Monroe. And he promised that the public would be able to remain involved throughout the process.

"No decisions are going to be made in some smoke-filled room," Kearney said.

Preliminary plans need to be drafted by January, Kearney said. But the Army isn't expected to transfer its troops to other bases for several years. The commission and president have already approved closing Fort Monroe. The final step in the process is Congress, which should decide within a month to accept or reject the commission's report.

Kearney said it's important for the city to act quickly and to work with the state and Pentagon on planning in order to ensure that new development begins as soon as possible.

The mayor said his greatest fear is that the Army leaves the base but refuses to pay for removing the unknown amount of unexploded bombs. That could prevent new construction and leave the base vacant.

"The city of Hampton," he said, "would be in dire economic trouble." *